Interview with An-ten-nae [Album Stream]

Over here at The Dankles we get the chance to feature artists on ever end of the spectrum, from producers just breaching the scene to some heavy hitters that have been at it for years on years. Every now and then though we get the chance to chat up artists that have been laced up in our own personal playlists for quite some time now, and that is why we’re excited to bring you this little brief interview with crunk maestro An-ten-nae. Since his Acid Crunk mixtapes began to infiltrate my eardrums a few years back he has been a steadily relevant name in the bass music scene a good lot of us over here tend to tred in. Having just seen the release of his debut LP ‘Raindrops on Roses’ on the esteemed imprint Muti Music we thought it would be a fitting time to let each of you readers have a better look at this multifaceted producer.

TD: For those readers out there that might be a little foreign you and your music would you mind introducing yourself for us?An-ten-nae: My name is Adam ohana, and Im originally from NYC, and grew up on the upper and Lower East side. I currently reside in Oakland CA.

TD: Being that you’re somewhat of a veteran in the realm of bass music these days how did you get entwined in the industry in the first place? A: Started off owning a record store and later on a music distribution company, I have always had this inspiration to turn people onto new music.

TD: Being from the Bay Area where there has been a thriving bass scene for awhile now how did you first dive in and begin getting involved with other producers already doing their thing? A: From music distribution; I started throwing shows to promote a lot of the music we were importing, and that kept progressing. A lot of the west coast artists got their start at our parties. I currently book a lot of shows at 1015 Folsom, which is one of the most future forward bass music clubs on the planet.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwmIk5K8LOo

TD: What sort of influences drive you to make the sort of tunes you do to this day?A: I really am a product of the environment, so I take a lot of influences from a wide spectrum of music. I would say I really like the low 808 type boom normally associated with Southern hip hop, crunk, trap, etc. So there is usually an underpinning in that throughout a lot of my music. Deep low bass, heavy drums.

TD: Over the past few years your production style has taken on the very unique ‘Acid Crunk’ style, is this something you take credit for molding or have many producers lent a hand in forming these kinds of tunes?A: It is the marriage of southern hip hop bass low beats and electronic music. I have been into this and producning it for quite a while.

TD: You have just broken into the double digits of your ‘Acid Crunk’ EPs, did you envision these EP’s getting to this point when you first started them? A: I love making music so I envision it to keep on going for quite some time.

TD: Do you have any plans to continue the Acid Crunk chapters into future volumes up your sleeve? A: I do have some more eps in the works. Still thinking about another compilation. I think I want it to be one where I collab with a lot of different artists.

TD: This has become a pretty standard question of ours, what kind of equipment do you sit down with to produce in the studio? What about in a live show setting?A: I like a mixture of hardware and soft synths and plug ins. But my staples are a Virus TI. Moog Little Phatty. , UAD Apollo – and countless plug ins. For live I have a customized wireless Faderfox . that controls all aspects of my set. I can mix up to 6 tracks at a time, essentially doing lots of live remixing on the fly, even from in the middle of the dance floor..

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbshYiVPWXA

TD: So we just recently saw you debut the single ‘Raindrops on Roses’ off your forthcoming LP can you tell us a little about why you chose this track to be the single?A: The Album is called Raindrops on Roses so the start off with a EP of the same name, felt right.

TD: Can this be an inkling as to what we might find churned up in the whole LP or is this going to be a mutlifacted release to blow some minds?A: This Album has so many layers and is actually so different from the EP except for the title. The whole album really is a musical journey. I didn’t want to make an album that would be sya the latest trap album or etc.. I wanted it to be able to played over and over again and for the music to have depth.

TD: Having been producing for a good while now do you have any artists in particular you truly enjoy producing with, or have remix your own tracks?A: I love working with Laura Low, Lemurr and Auberon in my other project LowRIDERz, We just put out an ep called Unplug from the Machine.

TD: With Spring quickly approaching and summer looming on the horizon what are you plans for the upcoming months?A: I will be on a little mini European tour, Australian tour, Electric Forrest, EDC,, Lightning in a Bottle and so many other festivals I am excited to be playing at.

TD: If you had to pick one album to start your day with everyday for the rest of lets say the month, what album would that be?A: That is so hard. To do. Currently listening to the new James Blake Album, CHVRCHES